USC Legacy Still Considers UCLA

Gerald Martinez

08/14/2014

Mission Viejo (Calif.) offensive line prospect Cole Smith just received an offer from USC, the school where his father coached, but UCLA is still intriguing...

Mission Viejo (Calif.) center Cole Smith took an unofficial visit to
USC, but just before arriving on campus, Smith was offered a scholarship by
offensive line coach Tim Drevno and head coach Steve Sarkisian.

“They actually told me I had an offer before I got there, and that they
were having people commit as soon as possible,” said Smith. “That was
kind of thrown on me real fast.

“Coach Drevno was kind of pushing me to commit, but Coach Sarkisian was
more understanding of the process. I kind of got the good-cop, bad-cop
thing. But I wasn’t ready to commit.”

Smith went to the USC Lineman Camp in June, where he worked out as a
center for the Trojans coaching staff.

“I actually went to their camp last year, but they changed coaching
staffs, so that was kind of a bummer for me,” said Smith. “I went to
the camp again this summer, but they said they really only wanted to
recruit offensive tackles for this class.

“I went there and competed real hard, but they weren’t sure they wanted
a center. What they usually do is recruit a guard type and then move
them to center.

“But they think Max Tuerk might leave early to the league, so they
think I would be a good addition. Maybe he could mentor me for a year
and then have me take that spot.”

Smith has pretty strong family ties to USC, and the school’s alumni
base also is a big draw for the 6-foot-3, 255-pouf center prospect.

“I grew up a Southern California boy, so my dad coached there and my
sister went there,” said Smith. “USC has always been a big school for
me.
But the school from across town has Smith intrigued, too.

“But UCLA and USC are so competitive now, it’s going to be a tough
decision to make. I don’t know what I’m going to do, truthfully.”

Smith appears at face value as a Trojan legacy, and while he may very well
end up committing to USC sooner rather than later, he is taking his
time with the process.

“The pressure to commit is a little bit off, so I’m just going to
commit when I feel right,” said Smith. “I was going to wait to see how
the season played out, but I don’t know if USC wants to put a timetable
on the offer.”

Smith also has some interest in Stanford, but with no scholarship offer
and the prospect of cramming more classes into his already busy schedule,
USC and UCLA stand out as his two favorites.

UCLA offered Smith a scholarship right after their own linemen camp in
June. The Bruins decisive move to recruit Smith still lingers as a
positive for UCLA.

“They offered me so fast, it took USC a little while to figure things
out,” said Smith. “I’ve loved USC for so long, but they didn’t have the
confidence in me UCLA did.”

Having seen USC in fall camp, Smith may still take a visit to UCLA in
the coming weeks to give the Bruins another look.

“I saw the practice fields during their camp, but I didn’t really get
to tour the facilities that much,” said Smith. “I feel like I got a
good understanding of what USC is about, so I think I need to see UCLA
again before I have a better understand of what I want to do.”